]]>Doing Pilates two or more times per week will achieve results of weight loss and body toning unlike other exercise systems. The Authentic Method of Pilates is the ultimate workout, but not everyone knows it!

When I first started doing Pilates my master Trainer claimed it was the only workout I needed. I didn’t believe her! At the time I didn’t think Pilates moved fast enough, or hard enough to get the shape I wanted. Looking back, Pilates not only changed my body, but posture, form, and my approach to fitness.

The intention at our studio has always been to be different, just like the Authentic Method of Pilates! When we opened our doors it was important to create the ultimate experience for clients. Over the years the Instructors have changed many bodies because client programs are at the core of our studio, and we take their success seriously. The approach to training clients Pilates, is, training them like we were trained as apprentices. We believe this takes lessons to the next level!

Each client learns how to apply the different exercises to their body to achieve a specific result. Clients also learn to properly transition from one exercise to the next, and manage the Gratz Equipment. Doing these three things allows clients of all physical levels, ages, and those suffering from injuries to arrive at their most advanced practice. We believe this is important.

Having a good Instructor and one who is Authentically Trained will also provide a superior workout. Our Instructors are hand selected to create an environment of like mindedness and to streamline client programs for quality instruction in an environment that cares. The Authentic Method of Pilates has taught me many things about fitness but no matter where you are physically, or mentally in life you can count on this exercise system to create a better quality of life, and look amazing!

The Reformer is more then a great workout, it changes the way your body moves and looks. How clients use their body to manage the springs in response to the Reformer Bed are all parts to having a powerful exercise session! [...]

]]>Looking for a total body workout? The Pilates Reformer will literally reform and transform your body!

The Reformer is more then a great workout, it changes the way your body moves and looks. How clients use their body to manage the springs in response to the Reformer Bed are all parts to having a powerful exercise session! A solid foundation is how we advance clients to achieve the unique look of the Pilates Body!

Knowing Order, Springs, and Transitions:

In the Classical Method there are three tiers to the Pilates Reformer Order; basic, intermediate, and advanced. Our training of an Authentic Method of Pilates is long, intense, and meant to create a teacher that will give clients a fully customized and comprehensive exercise program. The workouts are customized around the guidelines that Joseph Pilates created. Clients should never be advanced too quickly, doing exercises before the body is ready can derail long term benefits and results!

How the Pilates Reformer eventually becomes a comprehensive workout?

Maximizing muscular development and flexibility from within the muscles are just a few reasons the Reformer is an amazing piece of equipment. The springs provide continuous resistance to the back, stomach, bottom, and hamstrings for awesome strength! And, as clients develop their mind and body connection they connect the exercises much faster making the workout cardiovascular and intense.

Pilates Takes the Side of Yes.

No matter personal goals, physical limitations, injuries, or athleticism we want all clients doing the most advanced version of their Pilates workouts! The Pilates Reformer should eventually demonstrate tempo, precision, coordination, concentration, and balance and that achieves the true strength and flexibility of the Powerhouse.

Pilates is the long game to feeling your best all the time and younger as you age! We work tirelessly to create an environment so our clients can thrive and find their perfect Pilates Body!

]]>http://pilatesbellevue.com/pilates/pilates-reformer/feed0Benefits of Rebounding with Pilateshttp://pilatesbellevue.com/pilates/rebounding
http://pilatesbellevue.com/pilates/rebounding#respondThu, 10 Aug 2017 20:52:55 +0000http://pilatesbellevue.com/?p=6007Get all the Health Benefits of Rebounding with Pilates and the Jump Board!

If you have been doing Pilates for awhile and have never done the Jump Board you are not alone. The Jump Board, is one, of many, Pilates best kept secrets! Engineered by Romana, NASA came to her looking for exercises that [...]

]]>Get all the Health Benefits of Rebounding with Pilates and the Jump Board!

If you have been doing Pilates for awhile and have never done the Jump Board you are not alone. The Jump Board, is one, of many, Pilates best kept secrets! Engineered by Romana, NASA came to her looking for exercises that would teach Astronauts how to control their body in space. Later, she used the Jump Board to rehab the Dancers. Presently, the Jump Board is apart of the Advanced Reformer Routine.

The Jump Board is an incredible piece of equipment that encourages weight loss, and lower body sculpting. As you lie on the Reformer Bed and jump the springs extend to their limit and upon the return the legs must resist the pull from the springs.. Do this for 10 minutes as a safe way to increase the Heart-rate without impact to the joints, and gain all the benefits of Rebounding!

One of the major benefits of Rebounding is to the skeletal system. Just as Astronauts lose bone mass in space because of a zero gravity environment, Rebounding becomes important to increasing bone mass, but, without the strain to joints or bones! Another amazing affect of Rebounding is the increase of cell energy and mitochondrial function.

Other Benefits:

Boosts lymphatic drainage and immune function

Improve digestion

More than twice as effective as running without the stress to ankles and knees

Increases endurance on a cellular level

Improves balance by stimulating the vestibule in the ear

Improve the effects of other exercise

Helps to circulate oxygen throughout the body

Improves muscle tone throughout the whole body.

Some sources claim that the unique motion of rebounding can also help support the thyroid and adrenals.

Doing Rebound exercises using the Gratz Pilates Jump Board is a sure way to enhance every aspect of your Pilates routine and look. The Jump Board is not for the faint of heart so be prepared to feel the burn.

]]>http://pilatesbellevue.com/pilates/rebounding/feed0Springs vs. Weightshttp://pilatesbellevue.com/pilates/springs-vs-weights
http://pilatesbellevue.com/pilates/springs-vs-weights#respondSat, 29 Jul 2017 01:16:13 +0000http://pilatesbellevue.com/?p=5986Springs vs. Weights! We would like to take a moment and explain why we believe Gratz Springs give the superior workout.

The unique push and pull system of the Gratz Springs puts resistance on the muscle through the entire range of motion. When clients exercise on the reformer they learn to connect movements from one to the next, [...]

]]>Springs vs. Weights! We would like to take a moment and explain why we believe Gratz Springs give the superior workout.

The unique push and pull system of the Gratz Springs puts resistance on the muscle through the entire range of motion. When clients exercise on the reformer they learn to connect movements from one to the next, almost like a dance. The springs reinforce the activation of the entire muscle fiber and plays it like an accordion; in and out without stopping. The result is a healthier, stronger, leaner, and more flexible muscle.

How is this different from free weights, or cable weights?

When exercising using weights you work with or against gravity, working only part of the muscle. When performing a bicep curl with a free weight the arm extends with gravity, and returns to the starting position working against the gravity. The resistance is never consistent and changes with the angle of the arm, and with the direction of the movement partially and inconsistently exercising the muscle.

The variable of gravity goes away when the Springs are introduced. This is because of the continuous action from the push and pull of the spring through the entire muscle, joint to joint. The Pilates discipline becomes a comprehensive exercise system strengthening each muscle fiber through the muscle all the way to the core! The Gratz Spring also demands a heightened mind and body connection to control the Pilates exercises with accuracy, achieving a desired physical result. In the end, Pilates creates lifelong results of health, strength, and beauty.

Other benefits of Springs vs. Weights:

Working the entire muscle vs. partial muscle helps to avoid bulk; the tearing of individual muscles fibers. When muscle fibers tear they have to repair and in the process of repairing they become shorter (bigger), and possibly more prone to injury. If you are not pairing workouts with proper stretching this is how muscular tears can occur. The long lean and strong look of Pilates is a result of activating all the tiny muscles of our body in combination with the larger muscle groups using the Springs as the source of resistance. Exercise shouldn’t leave the body feeling stiff or with aches and pains. Rather, the body should feel agile, healthy, look great, and free of aches and pains.

]]>http://pilatesbellevue.com/pilates/springs-vs-weights/feed0Pilates for the Aging Bodyhttp://pilatesbellevue.com/pilates/pilates-for-the-aging-body
http://pilatesbellevue.com/pilates/pilates-for-the-aging-body#respondFri, 21 Jul 2017 22:23:02 +0000http://pilatesbellevue.com/?p=5972“Your true age is defined by the flexibility of the spine.” A true statement from Joseph Pilates, and just one of many reasons why Pilates is for the Aging Body!

Pilates for the Aging Body is the perfect exercise discipline to maintain a fresh, young, and agile look. The ability to move efficiently becomes harder as [...]

]]>“Your true age is defined by the flexibility of the spine.” A true statement from Joseph Pilates, and just one of many reasons why Pilates is for the Aging Body!

Pilates for the Aging Body is the perfect exercise discipline to maintain a fresh, young, and agile look. The ability to move efficiently becomes harder as we age. What if we told you it doesn’t have to be this way. Through the unique push pull system of the Springs Pilates promotes overall health and a strong mind and body connection. It literally brings the body back to life!

It’s all about Balance for the Aging Body!

The Authentic Method of Pilates creates an environment for the client to thrive, leaving each lesson feeling good, and accomplished. Each lesson encourages strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, precision, and promotes a healthy mind and body connection. When Instructors are working with clients they constantly assess the body’s ability to execute these Pilates principles. And, the Gratz Equipment reinforces the body’s execution of movement from the core.

All of this is important because inadvertently, through exercise, Pilates keeps us young. The Authentic Method engages the brain in such a way that promotes youth, and a better quality of life.

We love that our clients live more fulfilled lives because of the Authentic teachings of Pilates. Whether it be spending active time with their grandchildren, gardening, cooking, hiking, traveling, or living with less body aches and pain. The exercise sequences of the mat and reformer workouts were designed to be lifestyle workouts and it shows; example our amazing client who started Pilates 7 years ago, view in this picture!

We are all aging body’s and we want to be on your YES team when it comes to working out!

Countless clients tell us they wish they started sooner. Don’t wait another minute! Sign-up today and get moving, and look how you are going to feel; amazing!

Pregnancy and staying fit is not an easy task. Having time to dedicate to your body is a luxury, and definitely, after children.

As Instructors it is our job to be in good physical shape, and live, by example, a healthy lifestyle. Most of the Instructors at Nancy Wallace Pilates have been pregnant, multiple times. Exercising while pregnant might seem like an attainable goal, but not every pregnancy is a walk in the park. The first trimester can be full of what seems like endless , not so great, life choices from cravings, fatigue, and more. Basically, staying out of hibernation can be a task on its own. It is no wonder that women need support, and Pilates can help!

How Pilates keeps a Pregnant Mommy Fit

One of the principles in Pilates is Balance. One of the first things you learn about Pilates, is, after each lesson you feel energized, pliable, and strong. This is important as you become less enthusiastic about working-out; feeling balanced and energized from Pilates can become the thing that keeps you going.

We always recommend at least two weekly appointments, but sometimes one weekly appointment is all your body can commit to, and that is okay. Each lesson is tailored to how the body is feeling for that appointment and consists of exercises that will nurture a growing belly and the days until you will give birth.

During this time we like to give extra attention to upper body strength and mobility, which, helps with the new and constant holding of a baby. Lower body endurance helps to support the extra weight and keeps the legs and bottom in good shape. We also emphasize balancing exercises for the loss of center, and breathing to aid with pushing during the birth.

Pilates makes you feel strong, and this is what you want pre-baby, during pregnancy, and post pregnancy! Returning to Pilates is the fastest way to put your body back together. Getting your pre-baby body back is important to most women and we understand the need to see a flat tummy again. We re-introduce the exercises in a manner that nurtures recovery for lasting results.

Always remember, good things happen with time. It is important to always give back to your body and mind especially when you are nurturing everyone else around you!

Pregnancy and Staying Fit is possible and we would love to work with you and find a program that will get you long term results with your new amazing life! Contact us HERE!

Pilates Style Magazine featured Sarah Michelle Geller on the June cover. Years after Buffy the Vampire, Geller, is slaying her Reformer and Mat workouts! Pilates maintains endurance, and strength while keeping her body looking feminine; that’s important for this working Mom. Sarah stays in fighting shape mixing [...]

Pilates Style Magazine featured Sarah Michelle Geller on the June cover. Years after Buffy the Vampire, Geller, is slaying her Reformer and Mat workouts! Pilates maintains endurance, and strength while keeping her body looking feminine; that’s important for this working Mom. Sarah stays in fighting shape mixing her weekly Pilates workouts with Cardio and Yoga.

Who Else is Doing Pilates These Days?

Emma Roberts loves the Cadillac and using the trapeze to maximize her upper body workouts. She prefers the classical method of Pilates which is what we specialize at #PilatesBellevue. The choreography and contemporary techniques improve posture, flexibility, and overall strength in addition to toning the abs, arms, and butt.

Jemima Kirke uses the Jump Board to mix cardio intervals into her Pilates workouts. Physically she pushes herself using the spring bound resistance of the Gratz Equipment for the ultimate toned look. Pilates has provided a more body positive atmosphere for Jemima.

Other Celebs to hit the news this June were Jessica Lowndes who claims Pilates is the result of her always runway ready body. And, lets not forget about the gentlemen, Jonah Hill, has been seen walking-about LA flaunting a new body! He complements his leaned-out look to a regular Pilates routine.

Why do Celebrities Love Pilates?

Pilates dramatically transforms the way your body looks, feels and performs. It builds strength without bulk for more toned and lengthy muscles of the thighs, waist, arms, back, and everyone wants the flat Pilates tummy and booty.

The focus on proper breathing, correct spinal and pelvic alignment, and concentration of smooth flowing movement help create better awareness of the body. The exercise system keeps the body young and maintains mobility, so why wouldn’t these celebrities be doing Pilates?

Are you looking for a way to get into the best shape of your life? Try Pilates! Celebrities, Athletes, Moms, and Professionals have turned to Pilates to take their fitness to the next level and meet body goals.

Are you looking for a way to get into the best shape of your life? Try Pilates! Celebrities, Athletes, Moms, and Professionals have turned to Pilates to take their fitness to the next level and meet body goals.

Let us tell you more about Pilates and Weight Loss:

Pilates builds muscle, which means, the body will naturally burn more calories each day at rest. Pilates develops the Powerhouse muscles of the back, core, and legs which will significantly increases metabolic output turning the body into a fat melting machine.

Increased flexibility is developed through the push and pull from the springs, and this works the lymphatic system. Lymphatic drainage reduces cellulite, water retention, increases metabolism, and fights against the common cold. Working the muscles against the springs plays each muscular fiber like an accordion sculpting the Pilates body; long and lean muscles. Flexibility promotes joint health and reduces the bodies risk to injury. The long game to living a healthier lifestyle.

Weight loss is one of the perks of a regular Pilates routine. How about improved posture and confidence as another reason to get on the reformer! Standing tall and proud is beneficial for mental health as well as maintaining physical health. Having proper alignment in workouts and outside of the studio are beneficial to spinal health. Joseph Pilates claimed true age is determined by the flexibility and strength of the spine.

Pilates exercise is meant to be performed in a controlled fashion. The Pilates discipline teaches the mind how to activate and control specific muscular movements for a desired look. As clients advance the practice of Pilates moves from one exercise to the next, like a dance. Incorporating mental control and swift movements turns Pilates into a cardiovascular workout. The tempo of Pilates puts the body in the fat burning zone, just another reason to do Pilates.

Pilates basically does it all in one hour. What are you doing for body sculpting? Pilates and Weight Loss can help you meet your body goals. Click HERE to sign up!

]]>http://pilatesbellevue.com/pilates/pilates-weight-loss/feed0Client Appreciationhttp://pilatesbellevue.com/pilates/pilates-trainers
http://pilatesbellevue.com/pilates/pilates-trainers#respondFri, 26 May 2017 20:33:48 +0000http://pilatesbellevue.com/?p=5826On these warm and sunny days our Pilates trainers can’t help but feel grateful, and have a case of client Appreciation!

In June of 2008 we opened our doors in a small space near old Bellevue. We had no idea, in 2013, we would upgrade to a beautiful 2500 square foot open space with views of Bellevue. Presently, we employee eight amazing [...]

]]>On these warm and sunny days our Pilates trainers can’t help but feel grateful, and have a case of client Appreciation!

In June of 2008 we opened our doors in a small space near old Bellevue. We had no idea, in 2013, we would upgrade to a beautiful 2500 square foot open space with views of Bellevue. Presently, we employee eight amazing Pilates trainers.

Being different is our success. How our client appreciation has evolved.

When we opened our doors 9 years ago our mission was to create excitement. Today, we have not only created excitement but thrive in an environment that manages expectations through loyalty. Our Pilates trainers teach exceptional Pilates that shows caring and gets results. Our front desk concierge manages the schedules of our clients while making sure they are paired with the right trainer.

As we grow we have evolved to be a studio that cares about instructor education.

To change bodies Pilates must be in our own body! Our Pilates trainers are required to participate in yearly continuing education, weekly Pilates workouts, regular staff meetings, and more. Owning the best equipment, Gratz, and all of it, was important to us. We are a studio that delivers a first class experience, in a first class facility.

Are you looking to change things up?

Summer is a great time to try new things, set goals, and make the most of your fitness routine. Our instructors are up for the task, and would be honored to work with you!

All of our instructors are classically trained with over 1000 hours of apprenticeship working with first and second generation teacher trainers, called Pilates elders. Seattle is lucky to have two world class training facilities that drawl the finest in Pilates trainers from all over the world. The instructors employed by NWP are knowledgeable, professional, and teach the type of Pilates that will change your body forever. Tell us your goals, and physical desires? Our Pilates trainers can’t wait to meet you! Contact Us HERE!

]]>http://pilatesbellevue.com/pilates/pilates-trainers/feed0The Pilates Scoophttp://pilatesbellevue.com/pilates/pilates-scoop
http://pilatesbellevue.com/pilates/pilates-scoop#respondThu, 18 May 2017 19:10:56 +0000http://pilatesbellevue.com/?p=5802What does the Pilates Scoop feel like? It’s the best feeling in the world!

First, lets define what the Scoop is; pulling the stomach inward against the back muscles and lifting those muscles upward underneath the ribs. Every exercise in Pilates starts from a scooped stomach; the abdomen is the control center and where the mind should always stay focused.

]]>What does the Pilates Scoop feel like? It’s the best feeling in the world!

First, lets define what the Scoop is;pulling the stomach inward against the back muscles and lifting those muscles upward underneath the ribs. Every exercise in Pilates starts from a scooped stomach; the abdomen is the control center and where the mind should always stay focused.

Scooping changes the way we approach exercise making us more effective movers, and it ultimately changes the way we look. Scooping activates the deepest layers of the abdomen protecting the body from injury.

The Pilates scoop can be a hard to grasp. Most people use force when they workout, tightening the stomach and pushing it out. The opposite is true in Pilates. We believe strength comes from the opposition of pulling the stomach in and up. When we think about pushing or pulling a heavy weight, whether it be a body part or something tangible, the feeling coming from the stomach should almost feel hollow. When executing a exercise the focus should be on the different layers of the abdomen and how they can help to control the outcome of any particular exercise. The goal is that the stomach becomes the driver to all movements. Through oppositional movement comes the strengthening and lengthening of individual muscles fibers.

Not only does the Pilates scoop make us stronger, but it improves the postural muscles that keep the body upright and the spine healthy. The goal is, the concept transfers into clients daily lives. Clients progress with their instruction is impacted by the work done outside of the studio.

The unique feeling of scooping takes time for the body to truly understand and practice makes perfect. Once clients understand how to properly scoop and execute movement from a scooped stomach their is dramatic change in the body.